The true story that inspired the movie is a memoir of funny, sad times and a tribute to outsider artists too wonderfully strange to ever make it in the mainstream. Mar 29, 2019 why the oddball genius of frank sidebottom will live forever. Being a fan of jon ronson, i was looking forward to frank despite only having a passing interest in frank sidebottom. Frank sidebottom and the man behind the mask bbc news. From the bestselling author of the psychopath test comes a characteristically humorous story of a musician on the margins. The true story behind the movie tells the reallife story that inspired the fictional film. Sporting a fibreglass cartoon head, frank played by chris sievey would perform strange beatlesqueenbruce springsteen covers with his oh blimey big band, of which jon ronson was the keyboardist. May 01, 2014 jon ronson discusses frank which he cowrote with peter straughan the men who stare at goats.
Jon ronson witnessed sieveys bizarre performanceart phenomenon firsthand, joining frank sidebottoms oh blimey big. In 2014, ronson cowrote a screenplay that was a fictionalized version of his memoir of being in frank s band. He draws on his own experiences as keyboardist in sidebottoms band. The title character may share the same first name and fleischerinspired papiermache bonce as chris sieveys comic creation but that is where the similarities end. Jan 15, 2014 frank sidebottom was a novelty act from the manchester music scene of the late 80searly 90s. Jan 01, 2015 being a fan of jon ronson, i was looking forward to frank despite only having a passing interest in frank sidebottom. The man behind the man in the papiermache mask chris sievey, died in june 2010, at the age of 54, after a battle with. If youre curious to know which elements of the film were true, read jon. Those appearing in the film include johnny vegas, ross noble, john cooper clarke, mark radcliffe and jon ronson, who was briefly in sieveys band. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers frank s creator chris sievey as being even more eccentric than his. Jan 12, 2014 frank sidebottom was possibly the strangest pop star in history. Starring michael fassbender, domhnall gleeson, maggie gyllenhaal, scoot mcnairy, and francois civil. Talking truth and fiction in frank with jon ronson the atlantic.
Written by ronson and peter straughan, it drew on the formers account of life in sidebottom s band, but was set in contemporary ireland and america. Quite how jon ronson, who cowrote the screenplay and was supposedly a friend of the real frank sidebottom, allowed this film to be made is an insult to frankss memory. The 2014 film frank was largely inspired by the frank sidebottom character, telling the story of a young wannabe musician who joins a group led by the enigmatic frank michael fassbender. Apr 24, 2014 the film, titled frank, was cowritten by journalist and broadcaster jon ronson, who spent three years playing keyboards in sidebottom s oh blimey big band in the late 1980s. Frank sidebottom, remembered fondly as the man with the papiermache head, was the court jester of the manchester music and comedy scene for over 25 years, but only a privileged few knew the man inside. The fictional film was inspired by jon s experience of touring in frank sidebottom s cult band. In his younger days, jon ronson played keyboards in a band fronted by frank sidebottom, a comic character who always wore a big plastic head. Sidebottom hired a keyboard player named jon ronson. A surreal film about a bandleader who wears a fake head on top of his own doesnt necessarily scream true story, but for coscreenwriter jon ronson frank has one major element of reality. The film was written by jon ronson and peter straughan, and was based on ronson s experiences playing in sieveys oh blimey big band.
The chris sievey story, will be released in uk cinemas later this year after its world premiere at next months south by southwest film festival in texas, chortle can reveal johnny vegas, ross noble, john thomson, john cooper clarke and writer jon ronson, who played in sidebottoms oh blimey big band, are. The chris sievey story the papiermacheheaded british cult star frank sidebottom comes to life in a portrait of his troubled and moonstruck creator, chris. The fictional film was inspired by jons experience of touring in frank sidebottoms cult band. Frank sidebottom and jon ronson, birmingham, the 1980s. Sep 06, 2012 the life of cult comedy legend frank sidebottom is being made into a movie. The true story that inspired the movie by jon ronson. Oct 17, 2018 frank is a 2014 film directed by lenny abrahamson, produced by david barron, ed guiney and stevie lee and written by jon ronson and peter straughan. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the. How connected do you want the film to be with frank sidebottoms own legacy. Jan 09, 2019 those appearing in the film include johnny vegas, ross noble, john cooper clarke, mark radcliffe and jon ronson, who was briefly in sieveys band.
Frank sidebottom, remembered fondly as the man with the papier mache head, was the court jester of the manchester music and comedy scene for over 25 years but only a. The true story that inspired the movie, jon ronson reflects on his days playing keyboard for the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. The true story that inspired the movie is a 2014 nonfiction book by jon ronson, which describes his time with musiciancomedian frank sidebottom as. The life of cult comedy legend frank sidebottom is being made into a movie. Frank sidebottom movie gets a uk and us cinema release. The film, titled frank, was cowritten by journalist and broadcaster jon ronson, who spent three years playing keyboards in sidebottoms oh blimey big band in the late 1980s. Frank, about an offbeat band and its eccentric leader. Frank sidebottom was a novelty act from the manchester music scene of the late 80searly 90s. Thats a really good question, and having read the book. Ronson performed with the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band, lead by the inscrutable frank sidebottomyes. I still see myself as marginal the writer often focuses on people who live in irrational bubbles, such as frank sidebottom but then, its a state of mind he has personal.
The film, titled frank, was cowritten by journalist and broadcaster jon ronson, who spent three years playing keyboards in sidebottom s oh blimey big band in the late 1980s. It was released theatrically in ireland and britain on 9 may 2014 and on dvd. Frank michael fassbender is partly based on frank sidebottom one of the scriptwriters, jon ronson, had once been part of his band, but also on a series of other rock figures but im not sure what the film is trying to do with this. Working from sieveys own exhaustive selfdocumentation old cassettes, degraded video and deftly incorporating interviews with loved ones and admirers including former band members dj mark radcliffe and franks coscreenwriter jon ronson, director steve sullivan assembles a compelling portrait of a mercurial, often tortured artist with. Last year, jon ronson and peter straughan released a terrific film called frank, which was a fictional telling of ronsons time in frank sidebottoms band.
The chris sievey story is a documentary about chris sievey and his alter ego, frank sidebottom. I think this is the only book that ive read from cover to cover in under 40 minutes. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers franks creator chris sievey as being even more eccentric than his. In the late 1980s i was the keyboard player in the frank sidebottom band. Starring chris sievey, martin sievey, paula sievey, jon ronson, ross noble, johnny vegas and bernard kelly. To confuse that issue ever so slightly frank the film is a project coauthoredconceived by jon ronson. Frank sidebottom was possibly the strangest pop star in history. It tells the true story behind the fictionalized movie.
Frank sidebottom, remembered fondly as the man with the papier mache. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers. Ronson performed with the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band, lead by the inscrutable frank sidebottomyes, a man in a big fake headthe alter ego of chris sievey. Frank is a 2014 black comedy film directed by lenny abrahamson, produced by david barron, ed guiney and stevie lee and written by jon ronson and peter straughan. The awardwinning film frank, starring michael fassbender and maggie gyllenhaal, was cowritten by jon ronson and was inspired by his time as the keyboard player in frank sidebottoms oh blimey big band. Frank, a captivatingly lowkey new film directed by. Nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity. Jon, a young wannabe musician, discovers hes bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band.
In the late 1980s jon ronson was the keyboard player in the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. It stars michael fassbender, domhnall gleeson, maggie gyllenhaal, scoot mcnairy, and francois civil. The film premiered at the 2014 sundance film festival. See more ideas about jon ronson, chris sievey and this or that questions. As an avid frank sidebottom fan, i was really looking forward to the film, frank.
Frank is a 2014 film directed by lenny abrahamson, produced by david barron, ed guiney and stevie lee and written by jon ronson and peter straughan. It is a fictional story loosely inspired by frank sidebottom, the persona of cult musician and comedy legend chris sievey, as well as other outsider musicians like daniel. Michael fassbender to play frank sidebottom in new. Although inspired by writer jon ronsons time as the keyboard player in frank sidebottoms band this is far from a biopic of one of britains most unusual performers. The chris sievey story is the official documentary about maverick manchester comedian frank sidebottom, and the life and art of his hidden creator chris sievey. Written by jon ronson the men who stare at goats and peter straughan tinker tailor soldier spy, the men who stare at goats, frank is based on the memoir by jon ronson. Insights from chris family, friends, and colleagues, including johnny vegas, jon ronson, john cooper. Jon ronson witnessed sieveys bizarre performanceart phenomenon firsthand, joining frank sidebottoms oh blimey big band as a substitute keyboard player in. This became the subject of feverish speculation during his zenith years.
Being frank is also a very human tale of the lives he touched. When jon ronson met frank sidebottom pan macmillan. Director lenny abrahamsons latest film is loosely inspired by journalist jon ronsons spell as a keyboard player with comic and musician chris sievey better. Talking truth and fiction in frank with jon ronson the. Directed by steve sullivan, it tells the fantastic true story of manchester artist chris sievey, the maverick mind behind frank sidebottom and the freshies, in the words of the people who knew him. Feb 09, 2018 a fictional film, frank, loosely based on sidebottom s life and starring michael fassbender in the title role was released in 2014. Why the oddball genius of frank sidebottom will live forever.
Frank was funny, entertaining, played toytown version of famous songs, and was only slightly weird. Jon ronson, who cowrote the film, was part of sidebottoms band, and the plot began as an adaptation of his writings but later became a fictional take. Jon, a young wannabe musician, discovers hes bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic frank. This was the screenplay for frank, a fictitious feature film inspired by ronson s time in frank sidebottom s band. May 08, 2014 jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers frank s creator chris sievey as being even more eccentric than his. The true story that inspired the movie is a book by jon ronson, available in hardcover, ebook, or audio. Ronson cowrote the 2014 cult film frank, loosely based on his experiences and starring michael fassbender as the man in the paper mache head. The loose inspiration for lenny abrahamsons frank whose cowriter, jon ronson, appears here, sidebottom was an unshakable presence in english popular culture from 1984 until his creators. I still see myself as marginal the writer often focuses on people who live in irrational bubbles, such as frank sidebottom but then, its a state of. It stars michael fassbender, domhnall gleeson, maggie gyllenhaal, scoot mcnairy, and francois civil the film premiered at the 2014 sundance film festival. The film, titled frank, was cowritten by journalist and broadcaster jon ronson, who spent three years playing keyboards in sidebottoms oh. Frank sidebottom, best known for performing with a big fake head with a cartoon face painted on it, was a cult. Jon ronson discusses frank which he cowrote with peter straughan the men who stare at goats.
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